By Nasir Dambatta
Three actions of Governor Uba Sani that shook Kaduna are now glaring: First was his decision to fully support the rebuilding of the life of a traumatized Baptist Bethel School Student, who escaped from bandits’ captivity and was escorted by CAN leadership to Government House in Kaduna.
Second was the latest facilitation to build schools, hospitals for residents of Tudun Biri that tragically witnessed accidental bombing which dominated global headlines and, in its wake, sorrow and tears across the globe. The beauty of Governor Uba Sani’s tons of compassion in this case was how he generated goodwill that saw Khalifa Muhammad Sanusi II and former Governor Nasir Elrufai and others donating over N30 million to the traumatized community in less than two hours.
Third was the release of millions of Naira to help small businesses in the rural areas flourish, under operation flush poverty, otherwise known as ‘A Kori Talauci’.
Of the three, the most striking was the speed with which Governor Uba Sani has demonstrated real empathy for the blood, sorrow and tears that trailed the Tudun Biri accidental bombing.
Generally speaking, since the dawn of time, the immediate and often protracted consequence of disasters of all forms is the humanitarian crisis it visits on the affected human entity.
The crisis, which causes a huge ruination on all sectors of the life of the entity, most-pathetically feature death of striking numbers of the residents of the entity and severe physical impairment of a higher number of survivors of the disaster; hunger and its related conditions of living; and a long-lasting trauma that may torment the survivors till God-knows-when.
Therefore, it has always been the concern and duty of every sensitive and responsive leader, on whose shoulders lay the massive responsibility of the all-round wellbeing of the entity, to immediately launch himself to everything doable to console the families of the deceased and alleviate the hardships the survivors have been plunged into, to the barest possible minimum.
That ‘accidental’ bombing of Tudun-Biri community, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, has, by sheer destiny, happened. But, apart from the frightening number of lives lost, considering the population of the small community, it has left behind a huge crisis drowning the huge number of survivors.
A large number have lost limbs and many more severely wounded in several other forms, generating a deep fright of a population of Tudun-Biri living with physical impairment for the rest of their lives.
The trauma hitting the families of the estimated hundreds of persons killed and the wounded lying critically ill, most of them at Barau Dikko Hospital, Kaduna, may constitute a psychosocial problem capable of causing considerable ruination on the economy of Kaduna State, given the all-round productivity of Igabi Local Area communities to the state’s economy.
Unless a very fine programme of trauma/psychosocial counselling is designed and implemented on the surviving members of the Tudun-Biri community, they may, ad infinitum, be tormented by the frightful memories of the ‘accident’; this condition may, therefore, scare then away from carrying out the commendable economic activities they are known for, for ages.
As is urgently expected of a sensitive, responsive and responsible leader, Governor Uba Sani launched his whole person and gubernatorial personality to the crisis created by the accidental bombing.
He urgently packaged and offered comprehensive assistance for the victims and their families of the tragedy unprecedented in the history of the state in the class of such accidents.
Governor Sani has for days been expressing his most-heartfelt sympathy and grief to the wounded survivors currently receiving medical treatment at Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital and promised to foot all their medical bills.
Additionally, the Governor has vowed to provide financial, psychological, and emotional support to those orphaned by the bombing.
Governor Sani expressed his grief and concern more than he has always done, while meeting with the delegation despatched by the Federal Government to Kaduna to convey its condolence and sympathy to the government and people of the state.
Many believe that his call for a comprehensive assistance from the apex government to augment his efforts towards alleviating hardships and restoring normalcy to Tudun-Biri community, was apt. Recall that the delegation, led by Vice President Kashim Shettima, included the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajuddeen; Minister of Defence Mohammed, Badaru Abubakar; and the APC National Chairman Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
Governor Sani also delayed no action in conveying his appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for promptly addressing the situation by ordering a thorough investigation into the incident. He reportedly assured the delegation that the findings of the investigative panel into the accident will be made public.
Another interesting development was the revelation by Senator Sani, of President Tinubu’s commitment to compensating the victims’ families and initiating the reconstruction of critical infrastructure in the Tudun-Biri community.
Furthermore, Vice President Shettima not only assured the governor of Federal Government’s assistance, but even immediately announced that the President has directed that the Fulako program under his office should start in Kaduna and in Tudun Biri to expedite the resuscitation of the community’s economy.
Under the Fulako program, the Apex government is to rebuild the houses destroyed, a hospital and schools as well as provide farming facilities to the survivors.
It is unmistakeable that the enormous goodwill of the current administration in Kaduna has opened a deluge of solidarity and goodwill for the people of the affected community. For now, it should not be difficult to see that a good Friday begins with a promising Wednesday.
Dambatta is Senior Special Assistant on Print Media to the Governor of Kaduna State.
